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initiative of United Russia, and that the offer had been standing for three years
before a decision was made. Urbanovics mentioned that such political
cooperation between the parties might create opportunities for meetings between
high-ranking politicians and step up cooperation in the economic sphere. 224
When thinking about United Russia as a partner, it is worth remembering that its
2003 manifesto, “The Party of National Success”, stated that: “at the end of the
previous century, most of us saw the collapse of the Soviet Union as a personal
tragedy”. 225 In 2009, Boris Grizlov stated that United Russia’s ideology is based
on “Russian conservatism”, which protects Russia from both stagnation and
revolutions. 226 In the most recent parliamentary elections, in 2011, United Russia
won 238 of the 450 seats in Russia’s Duma. Since May 2012, United Russia’s
chairman has been Russia’s Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev. Although in
recent years Vladimir Putin has maintained some distance from United Russia in
the public domain, the party cannot be viewed separately from Putin and the
interests of the current presidential administration.
4.3.3 Financial Support from Russia: a Lack of Transparency
It is difficult to assess Russian financial support for political forces in Latvia due
to the sometimes non-transparent financing processes of some political parties in
Latvia. In 2006, the Parliamentary National Security Committee head, Indulis
Emsis, a former prime minister, stated that there were indications that Russia
might have provided USD 1 million to Harmony Centre, transferred through
compatriots’ organizations. 227 The Latvian Constitution Protection Bureau
indirectly supported his statements, indicating that Russian state institutions and
NGOs had been active in trying to influence the results of Latvian elections. 228
When Harmony Centre nominated its candidate for the presidency in 2007, the
then President of Latvia, Valdis Vike–Freiberga, commented that “the candidate
has been nominated by one of the parties, […] but, being the president, I possess
confidential information on its financial resources that causes concern about the
party’s loyalty to the interests of the state of Latvia”. 229 Although Harmony
224 See “Urbanovics: we’ve considered agreement with “United Russia”,
http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/viedokli/295410.
225 See United Russia, “Manifesto 2003”, http://www.gazeta.ru/parliament/articles/19345.shtml.
226 See “Congress of United Russia party a weathervane of Russian politics”,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/24/content_12527418.htm.
227 Indulis Emsis represents the Greens’ and Farmers’ Union. He was appointed minister for the
environment in a number of cabinets. On 9 March 2004 he became Latvia’s Prime Minister and
assembled a centre-right minority cabinet.
228 See “CPB approved Russia’s intention to influence elections’ results”, Apollo,
http://www.apollo.lv/portal/fun/articles/66978.
229 Sloga G. (2007): “President's speech on election raises confusion”, 30 May 2007, Diena,
http://www.diena.lv/sabiedriba/prezidentes-izteikumi-par-velesanam-raisa-neizpratni-16999.
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